Driving mechanism



Aug. 3l, 1954 R. M. NARDONE DRIVING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 19, 1948 INVENTOR.

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MN @N Patented Aug. 31, 1954 Romeo. Nardone,.--Teaneck, N.. J.,

Josera 1,

Mascuch, Manlewnndf N- J.- I

emisario August 19, 1948,' Serial' Ne 4.5.049"

(ci. 192- .o2

5. Claims.

This invention relates-to driving mechanism, and particularly.y ito :motorv drives` for developing hightorque for actuation of. a unit to :be-.moved occasionally between twoiextreme positions,- such as theaunder-carriage,v or landing: gear,v ofair.- craft. Such a drive commonlyv includes a reversible electric` motor, a reduction gearvtrain, a loadlimiting..y clutch, a normallyv disengaged vjaw clutch,` and electro-magnetic vmeans for. moving the-jaw clutch to. the-engaged position, and holding. it engaged, for the. duration of4 thev operating cycle.

An objectv of the present inventionfis to provide a novel inter-relationship of the component parts, of. a drivingmechanism ofthe character indicated, with allmoving. components rotatable or reciprocable. upon-,a single axis, which single axisis .also ,the focalline. about which all stationary componentsv of the mechanism. are symmetrically disposed and supported.

Another object of the invention vis to constructand; inter-connect the. clutch and clutch engaging components of the mechanism insuch manner asl to greatly simplifythe` procedure for initially adjusting the setting and travel distance; through. which the.. clutch. is tomove, for the engagingy andffdisengagng operations; the said construction and inter-connections also being such as. -to insure that,y once suchi adjustment has been made, vthe clutch'action will be positive and uniform 'upon each occasion of; use.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a motor-driven, solenoid-shifted 4clutch assembly, a novel co-axialdisposition oi?4 all motor, solenoid, and-clutch parts, including all components, vofthe clutch shifting mechanism; there being no bell-cranks, levers, or rocking elements operating in off-center locations a s in most devices. heretofore employe These. and other objects of the` invention-r will be, apparent upon reference tothe accompanying drawing.v and the following description ofi the, preferred embodiment; it being understood that said drawing. and description merely exemplify. the invention without attempting to deflne its. scope. or limits; the scope and limits beingindicated only in the appended claims.V

In the drawing the extreme ends of the motor fieldl yoke are shownat Iandl, the central portion being broken away.V The commutator end of t. emotor armature. is Vindicatedat 8, and the two end portions of the armature shaft at 9. and. I0. The .fieldyoke 'I includes airendrlm Ilftting intona circular recess inhousing section I2?y which housing section combines with housing section I3 to enclose. thegeantrain- L4 and the clutchassemf` bly I5. A flange lionhousing section. I 3 hasy a series of holes. I'I to. receive .bolts-(not shown) by. which. the complete. mechanism;.is supported about itscentral axis. Field yoke.y 6, 1 also includesanfend. wall I8 to which Aisattached (as by. bolts I9) the supporting'. plate 2,0. of the. solenoid assembly, the latterbeing-enclosedyin endcap 2l,v secured to the. plateA 2.0.1by:screws 2,3.. This` solenoid .assembly has; certain y features ofY novelty in its construction;- as, do alsoA therclutch assembly I5. andthe operating connections therebetween, aswill now. be. described.

Passing throughthe;hollowarmature shaft il.` I0, isa rod. 24 having 'threadedv ends 26. and 27 for reception. of correspondinglyv threaded elements 28 andp29, respectively; the .element 28 being an` adjustable nut formingrthe operative connection (in one direction):betweentherod 24 andthe shiftable clutch-element I5, while the element 29 is an adjustable magnetic core of the solenoid assembly, normally urgedaway.v from fixed magnetic core 30hy a springSI but movable. toward` said-core 3.0; upon-passage ofcurrent tovv solenoid winding; 352-'. Core .29,V is formed with a slot 33 in its end-surface, and-upon insertion of a suitable tool in said slot the. core 2-9r r`1ayy be turned in relation to rod 21|,.thereby automatically adjusting and xing.-the. overallV distance between. the core 29,l on vthe one hand, and the engagingfface ofthe` clutch element 4I5 on the other; therebeing no end play possible between the rod- 24.andthe clutch I5, once such adjustment is eiected, becauseball-bearing assembly 34 forms a positive thrustrtransmitting connection between thel rod and clutch in both directions of clutch shift. It will be-understood ,that the over-all distance-willl be properly adjusted after the. completeeunithas been mounted, that turned on", on. rod 2,4, the proper distance to insure full,v positive Ameshing .action between clutch element. I5 andi thematingclutch element (not shown) of the mechanism tov be actuated.. Following completionof suchaadustment, the covering caps .22;.andf35.are..attached, and the unit is thusV completely. assembledf.

The driving. connections from varmature shaft 9, I0. to the, clutch, I5 includere pinion 36.keyed to said shaft, as indicated at 3.1,' a pair. of planetary gears. I4, a stationaryiring gear. 38 constitutingthe reaction, orf orbital, elementofv the planetary train, a two-part cageor. spiderl 39,140 carrying the gears I4 and rotating:=therewith about the. centralaxisvoffshaftl9,V loq-a' cylinder or concentrically is, the-core 2,9 willatthat time-begturnedup, or.

barrel 4| bolted to the spider, two sets of interleaving friction discs 42, 43, and a sleeve 44 splined internally to the rear portion 45 of clutch l5, and externally to be driven by the discs 43; the discs 42 being in registry with the internal splines of the barrel 4l. An annular plate 46 is threaded into the end of the barrel 4i to adjust the pressure on the discs 42, 43, and thus control the load, or torque-transmitting capacity of the unit. Ball-bearing assemblies 41 and 43 support shaft 9, I in end walls l2 and I8, respectively.

The magnetic circuit of the solenoid assembly includes, in addition to the two core pieces 29 and 36 above described, a pair of magnetic end plates 49 and 5U held in properly spaced relationship by the intervening magnetic sleeve piece l whose circular end sections 52 land 53 are turned in to over-lap and thus retain all three elements in position; the core-piece 39 being similarly secured to end plate 49 by staking its end section 54 against the tapered central opening in the plate. Plate 49 is in turn secured to the over-al1 supporting plate 29 by screws 65. Registering passages through plates 26 and 49, as well as end wall i8, permit lead 56 to be brought through these passages, so that current may be supplied to the solenoid winding 82 by way of one of the motor terminals (not shown) to which the supply end of lead 56' connects, the delivery end of the lead being indicated at 57, which is the point of connection with one end of the winding 32. The other end of winding 32 is connected to terminal 58, which is grounded through the housing. An inner sleeve 59 separates the winding 32 from the core pieces 29 and 36, and forms a cylindrical guide or bearing facilitating reciprocal movement of the core piece 29. This inner sleeve 59 is rst secured to the insulating terminal block 60 by flaring its inner `end against the block, while the outer end of the sleeve is similarly staked over the end plate 50, after the latter has been secured within the end section 53 of outer sleeve 5l. It will be noted that this assembly is effected Without the use of' screws or the like, except for the attachment of end plate 49 to the over-all supporting plate 20, and the attachment or" cap 35.

In operation, the closing -of the motor energizing circuit will result in simultaneous current iiow to solenoid winding 32, by way of lead 56.

This simultaneous energization of the motor and solenoid will produce concurrent rotation and forward (axial) travel of the clutch element i5 into operative engagement with the mechanism to be actuated, the direction of rotation depend- I.

ing upon the relative directions of current flow in the motor armature and field. When the mechanism to be actuated has moved through its full cycle the motor circuit is re-opened; and, as re-opening of the motor circuit will automatically stop the ow of current to solenoid winding 32, the solenoid spring 3l now becomes effective to return the clutch element l5 to the disengaged position illustrated, and to hold it in such disengaged position until the next cycle of operationis initiated. ySuch next cycle of operation will involve a flow of current in the opposite direction ineither the armature or field of the motor, to reverse its direction ofrotation, but flow of current to solenoid winding 32 will again take place in the same direction and manner as before, producing the sameclutch operation as above described.

vWhat I claim is:

1. In4 apparatus of theclass. described, a rotatable and axially shiftable clutch element, means including a motor for rotating said clutch element, said motor having an end wall centrally and eccentrically apertured, a rod passing through the central aperture in said motor wall for positive axial connection with said clutch element, to shift the latter axially, means for shifting said rod axially, while at the same time holding it against rotatio-n, and means passing through the eccentric aperture in said motor wall to energize said shifting means.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said rod shifting means includes a solenoid mounted on said motor wall, said solenoid having its magnetic circuit concentric with said rod.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a r0- tatable and axially shiftable clutch element, means including a reversible electric motor having a hollow armature shaft in axial alignment with the clutch element, and a gear train driven by said armature shaft and responsive to the direction of travel thereof, said gear train being drivably coupled to the clutch element so as to transmit thereto a clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation as desired, a rod passing through the hollow shaft, means for establishing a positive axial thrust connection between said rod and the clutch element ineach direction of axial movement of said rod, and clutch shifting means remote from the .clutch consisting or" a solenoid assembly including co-operating magnetic elements, means for securing one of said magnetic elements against rotation, means for moving the second of said magnetic elements axially into engagement with the first magnetic element, whereby both magnetic elements are secured against rotation and means for fastening said rod within the second magnetic element to shift axially therewith and to be restrained from rotation by reason ofthe restraint upon the said second magnetic element.

4. Apparatus as dened in claim 3, wherein said clutch element, shaft, rod, and regulating means are all operable on the central axis of said apparatus.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said connection-establishing means includes a ballbearing assembly concentric with said rod and clutch element, and means for preventing relative axial displacement between said rod and clutch element.

References Cited inV the sie of this patent UNITED sTATEs PATENTS Number Name Date 1,963,638 Wilsing June 19, 1934 2,203,024 Lewis June 4, 1940 2,334,657 Thornburg Nov. 16, 1943 2,382,765 Zahodiakin Allg'. 14, 1945 2,391,333 Nardone Dec, 18, 1945 2,419,333 Christiansen Apr. 22, 1947 2,429,425 Nardone Oct. 21, 1947 2,444,118 Snyder June 29, 1948 2,578,094 Sear Dec 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 375,374 Italy Oct. 5, 1939 '480,576 Great Britain Feb. 24, 1938 493,616 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1938 494,119 Great Britain Oct. 20, 1938 496,943 Great Britain Dec. 5, 1938 653,556 Germany Nov. 26, 1937 

